Corbett honors Pennsylvania victims in Patriot Day tribute

In honor of the 12th anniversary of Sept. 11, Gov. Tom Corbett said it is fitting to mark Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance in the state where the first plane fell.

A park erected on the location where United Airlines flight 93 crashed on Sept. 11, 2001. Credit: Wiki Commons

In honor of the 12th anniversary of Sept. 11, Gov. Tom Corbett observed Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance in the state where the first plane fell.

"It is fitting to remember that the first battlefield in the War on Terror was a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, and its first soldiers were the brave passengers aboard United Flight 93,’’ Corbett said in a statement. [embedgallery id= 217228]

Renamed Patriot Day last year, the holiday is a yearly reminder of the 2,977 killed in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

“A love of country and personal courage flow in the veins of every American, and so it is fitting that we honor this very American trait," he said. "While we lower the flag to half-staff in honoring those we lost, we remember that love of country and freedom never waver in the hearts of our people.’’

Corbett ordered U.S. and Pennsylvania flags lowered to half-staff at the capital and all commonwealth facilities today.